For more than a quarter century, Milwaukee’s Woodland Pattern Book Center has held an annual poetry marathon and benefit showcasing hundreds of local writers over the span of 15 hours. This year’s event, the 26th annual poetry marathon, is scheduled for Jan. 25-26, and the money raised will support more than 300 local arts and educational programs in 2020.
This year’s daylong celebration of poetry and performance will kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday with an hour of readings by young people, and each ensuing hour of the event will feature a different group of artists, organized under collective headings such as “Veterans Hour,” “LGBTQ+ Hour” and “LOTUS Legal Clinic: Untold Stories.” A distinguished line-up of artists will headline this year’s benefit, including life-long Wisconsin resident and current Wisconsin Poet Laureate Margaret Rozga; UW-Milwaukee professor emeritus John Koethe; novelist and poet Kathie Giorgio, the director and founder of the local AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop; and hundreds of other community members whose original works will be on display at the book center.
The Poetry Marathon is a community fundraiser where readers find sponsors to pledge a minimum of $40 to Woodland Pattern on their behalf. For only $10, guests can access an unparalleled local event that has become a beloved staple in Milwaukee’s Riverwest community. A complete performance schedule can be found online at woodlandpattern.org.
